This application seeks partial funding for the South Eastern Regional Lipid Conference (SERLC) to be held on November 13-15, 2013 at the High Hampton Inn, Cashiers, North Carolina. This will be the 48th annual conference on this subject. This year's special focus will be inflammation not only as a deliberate attempt to engage new researchers who might not otherwise attend the conference, but also given the research interests of the organizers this year. These funds will be used specifically to support the registration and travel expenses of junior investigators, post-doctoral fellows and graduate students who will be attending the conference and presenting their work as invited short talks or posters. The funds will also be used for travel expenses related to the Keynote speakers and for fees related to the hosting site. The broad goal of this successful and established conference is to provide a platform for annual review and discussion of the most recent and late breaking research on the analysis, detection, regulation, function and biomedical relevance of lipids. Lipid enzymes play central roles in many aspects of cell regulation by producing or modulating bioactive lipids and lipid-derived mediators. For example, phospholipases A generate fatty acids (FA) and lysophospholipids. These enzymes initiate production of lipid ligands, including the eicosanoid metabolites of arachidonic acid and exert important functions in inflammation. In addition, the conference will include presentations on the most recent understanding of enzymes that synthesize and degrade sphingolipids pertaining to cellular processes, apoptosis and autophagy, as well as sessions dedicated to groundbreaking up-dates on lipid analysis, biochemistry, transport and signaling. The conference brings together scientists and physician scientists in diverse disciplines including genetics, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, and biomedical research with a shared interest in lipid research as well as investigators whose research led to study lipids, given their pleiotropic functions. The conference has a strong record of established and world-renowned investigators as Keynote speakers, but mainly focuses on presentations by graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. Thus, the conference not only provides an effective forum for promoting collaborations and disseminating new advances in the field, but also serves as a training platform for young scientists with a special emphasis on presenters from underrepresented groups. The subject area is one that receives considerable support from the NIH with over 3,400 active projects and to date, this field has generated >900,000 publications. The funds requested in this proposal will be used to provide travel awards to junior investigators including individuals from underrepresented minorities and will make an invaluable contribution to the support of this conference.